1. Field of the Invention
Fishing, or at least fishing with a rod or pole, except perhaps under the most frenetic competitive circumstances, is generally considered a relaxing activity. Indeed, it is sometimes so relaxing that the fisherman may even doze off, or even actually go to sleep.
Others engaged in this activity appreciate that, excepting commercial enterprise, a strike is not an instantaneous and continuous occurrence, and that if he or she does not have to constantly hold the pole or rod, there is time between bites to do other things, e.g., cook, read a book, or play a game with a friend.
In either circumstance, the fisherman wants to know if and when he or she has a strike, thus creating a need for 1) something to hold the pole or rod at the ready, and 2) some means of alerting the fisherman when there has been a strike at the bait or lure.
In recognition of the essential characteristics of the fisherman, the aforesaid problems have fostered several creative efforts to provide, to the fisherman, the tools with which to resolve the problem, as will be chronicled hereinafter.
2. Overview of the Prior Art
As may be seen from the following analysis, there have been a large number of patented efforts to provide the fisherman with the tools to permit him or her to engage in other activities, while being alerted to a strike as one occurs. These efforts differ primarily as to how the objectives may be accomplished, while being relatively uniform as to the means, i.e., all seem to use something to hold the rod or pole and something to alert the fisherman upon there being a strike at the bait or lure.
By way of example, Morgan U.S. Pat. No. 3,862,508 uses a pole holder pivotally disposed at the upper end of a support, and a coil spring biases the pole holder to normally position it transverse to the support. A strike on the line will overcome the bias of the spring, causing contact to be made with an alarm which, thus, alerts the fisherman.
In Braun U.S. Pat. No. 2,909,860, there is a leaf spring which supports a pole holder in an essentially upright attitude. In reality, the leaf spring supports the pole in its holder at an acute angle, and, when a strike occurs, the pole is biased in the direction of the arrow, counterclockwise, to hit the alarm button which actuates the alarm upon receiving a strike. Of some interest is the distance the pole must travel to engage the that distance being slight in Braun, relative to Morgan. Accordingly, it seems more likely that Braun would give a false signal than would Morgan.
The 1969 U.S. Pat. No. 3,058,251 to Brooks is a variation on the Braun theme in that the socket in which the end of the pole fits is spring biased and at an obtuse angle. The seeming primary difference in this one is that the spring is a coil spring as compared to the leaf spring of Braun.
The Smith U.S. Pat. No. 3,156,997, counts on essentially a vertical pole to actuate the alarm and, again, a coil spring is employed. A downward component of the force of the strike would actuate the alarm, which is situate beneath the butt of the handle of the pole.
In Wetsch U.S. Pat. No. 3,285,360, it is, again, a coil spring 33 which biases the pole holder toward the vertical. The alarm is at the side of the pole, and a horizontal component of the strike force is needed to bring the handle of the pole into actuating contact. In Schwartz et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,359,672 there is, again, a coil spring but it is mounted along a bolt, apparently to limit movement, and, in Howard U.S. Pat. No. 3,628,275, the coil spring is mounted in yet another different, relative position.
Again, or similarly, as the case may be, Rayburn U.S. Pat. No. 3,645,028 uses a screw and spring arrangement to position the pole holder relative to the support, in essentially straight line alignment, although the support is positioned at an acute angle relative to the ground. Karr U.S. Pat. No. 4,217,720 and Hartwig U.S. Pat. No. 4,334,377 are variations on the same theme. Hutcherson U.S. Pat. No. 3,903,633 is a variation on the leaf concept, with the alarm on the handle. The alarm is actuated by coming into contact with an essentially stationary surface.
In each case, a signal is actuated as a direct result of a tug on the pole, presumably from a strike. As will be seen hereinafter, the present invention contemplates that a strike, or bite, will set in motion a chain of events which eventuates in the actuation of a signal.
The present invention comprises a novel fishing rod or pole holder, capable of positioning a fishing rod relative to the ground, or some stable object such as the gunwale or seat of a boat, or the like, and configured to cause a signal to be emitted upon the bait or lure being struck by a fish with sufficient force.
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a holder of the type described which permits the user to do things other than holding the pole and waiting, while fishing, without fear or trepidation of losing a fish due to inattention.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a fishing pole holder which also audibly announces a viable strike at the bait or lure. A further objective related to the foregoing, is to provide such a fishing pole holder which emits an audible signal of sufficient volume, and sufficiently unpleasant to the human ear, as to defy being ignored, thus causing the user to immediately act to seek to abate the sound.
A still further objective of the present invention is to provide apparatus for initiating an audible signal which is relatively free of inadvertent actuation, thereby minimizing the likelihood of a false alarm.
Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a holder of the type described, which can be assembled with ease and quickly disassembled for transportation in a minimal space.
The foregoing, as well as other objects and advantages of the present invention, will become apparent from a reading of the following Detailed Description of a Preferred Embodiment, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: